HPU Secures Largest National Institutes of Health Grant in Its History

Published 1:48 PM ET Mon, 20 June 2016
Globe Newswire

HIGH POINT, N.C., June 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Point University has secured a $528,107 National Institutes of Health grant, the largest in HPU's history. The grant, titled "Real-time Optimized Biofeedback Utilizing Sport Techniques," will fund HPU students and faculty looking at innovative biofeedback techniques in middle school and high school-aged female soccer players.

Dr. Kevin Ford, director of the HPU Human Biomechanics and Physiology Laboratory and associate professor of physical therapy, in conjunction with Dr. Jeff Taylor, assistant professor of physical therapy at HPU; Dr. Yum Nguyen, associate professor of athletic training at HPU; and Dr. Mark Paterno and Dr. Bin Huang from Cincinnati Children's Hospital will research over the course of three years how different training programs impact ACL injury risk in females.

Their goal is to reduce risk of ACL injuries in females. Females are four to six times more likely to tear their ACL than males in non-contact injuries, which are common in sports like soccer and basketball. There's a great deal of interest in the research on both the local and national levels.

"Working alongside the talented and passionate students and faculty at High Point University has been a rewarding experience," Ford says. "I am grateful for the support and being able to continue to perform impactful federally funded studies locally in High Point."

HPU has connected with the Piedmont Triad Football Club for the first round of research this summer and looks to involve other clubs and schools in the future, including 150 middle and high school female athletes from here in the Piedmont Triad.

"The opportunity for students to collaborate on a federally funded project is invaluable," says Nguyen. "This project provides our students with a hands-on, clinical research experience that will enhance their learning and set them apart as they pursue graduate programs in Health Sciences. This also allows us to continue quality research in the Human Biomechanics and Physiology Laboratory, but will also help us reduce the risk of ACL injury in youth athletes in the High Point community."

Research reported in this press release was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21AR069873. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.